Generation and manipulation of droplets in an optoelectrofluidic device integrated with microfluidic channels

Abstract

This letter describes an optoelectrofluidic platform integrated with microfluidic channels for continuous generation and programmable manipulation of water-in-oil droplet emulsions. A microchannel was integrated into a film-based optoelectrofluidic device by selective perforation of poly(dimethylsiloxane) layer for simultaneously performing microfluidic generation and optoelectrofluidic manipulation of droplets in a single device. By using this device, we could continuously generate, interactively transport, and merge multiple droplets using optically induced virtual electrodes.